Belethsar's Journey
by wingsofseyfert12
Summary: Left in a dead future with nothing left for him, Belethsar takes it upon himself to enter the Black Omen in the hopes that his eternal exile would soon end.


Disclaimer: All rights to the name "Chrono Trigger" belong solely to Square Enix. I neither own "Chrono Trigger" nor do I profit from the writing of this story.

Author's Note: I remember playing the game way back and I tried to get into the Black Omen in 2300 A.D but all it shows is Zeal appearing before you and talking about how the world has already died and such before disappering and you are denied access. I didn't think much of it and left it at that and proceeded to beat the game.

Fast forward many years later. I get really sick and have a high fever and I have trouble sleeping. In one of the many disturbed dreams of my feverish stupor, I dreamt of what would be the basis of this story. What lies inside the Black Omen in 2300 A.D? Read on and find out.

* * *

How long has it been since I have been marooned here in this barren wasteland, with neither soul nor person to confide in? Daily I have questioned whether what I was going through was indeed real or if it was just a dream, a dream in which I would one day wake up out of.

Despite the terrible circumstances, I had done my utmost to maintain breath. The wasteland that I lived in was the result of the terrible Lavos, the thing that we had worshipped for so long and the one who had banished me into this time. I knew that there were those out there fighting this monster and I had no desire to be just a mere spectator.

I completed the Epoch, my last and greatest creation and just in the nick of time too. Those three youths, the blonde haired girl, the one with the obnoxious glasses and the spiky haired one, I sensed what they were capable of and what they were intending to do. Being able to get through the sealed door at the front of my lab was proof that they were special.

So I gave them the Epoch and bade them good luck in their endeavors. I knew that they were fighting a losing battle and even if they did win, it would change nothing from my perspective. I was stuck in a forsaken future, a future with no future, a world that was already doomed.

Yet it could not have been more than a five minutes after the departure of those kids when I felt a heavy disturbance in the air. It was dark, menacing and...familiar.

At once, my heart began to race as I recognized the energy signal coming from whatever it was from the outside. I kept telling myself that there was no way that it would be here, that it was destroyed but there was no way I could get this wrong for I laid the schematics and oversaw its construction.

I dashed outside my lab, the wind stinging my skin and chilling my bones and behold! before my unwilling eyes it was before me!

The Ocean Palace.

Floating in mid-air, it looked like a menacing omen on the world, it was absolutely huge. I never really take much credit for my work but this time, even I could not believe that I was the one who came up with the design and structure for this goliath.

I stared up into the air in awe, the gigantic structure stretching out to the horizon. What the Ocean Palace was doing here I had no idea. Yet seeing it gave me a sense of comfort. For the first time since my exile I began to have a sense of hope.

My heart began to race again. I thought for sure the Ocean Palace was destroyed but if it wasn't then what are the chances of someone I know residing in there? Could my colleagues, Melchior and Gaspar be there still? Would Janus be there, whining about when it was time to get off. Or is it possible that the Schala and the Queen herself were in there?

The possibilities made my head spin though maybe the cold temperature had something to with that as well. In any case, the gigantic structure looming over my lab beckoned to me. I so dearly wanted to see them, it has been far too long.

Knowing what I must do, I dashed back into my lab to prepare. Quite possibly, the ships' defense systems have changed and I knew that I would have to physically go through security if I wanted to get to the meeting room at the end of the Ocean Palace. Because of this, I took it upon myself to prepare, as I collected my vest made of Lode, my best robe (my only robe) many phials of tonic and my staff. I took many of my schematics and books and placed them on my pack.

When I was finished, I went to the small hangar next to the one which the Epoch was boarded on and set myself on a small aircraft that I designed out of boredom some time ago. I had used it to traverse parts of this world and was able to meet some of the people. Unfortunately, their company was very dull and unplesant and soon, I gave up trying to maintain relations to the sad peoples still living on this Earth.

In any case, the weather now was unfavorable (when has it ever been favorable?) and I ran the chance of losing control and crashing. Still, I have nothing left to live for and death would insure a release from this terrible wasteland.

Having started it, I took flight towards my destination. The wind threatened to knock me off course but I was determined to continue towards my destination. As I got closer, I was dismayed to find that the only entrance towards the Ocean Palace had no hangar but really, that was my fault. How could I have known then that I would need to have placed a runway to recieve aircraft at the time?

As I neared the entrance I knew that I had to jump though I fear that my old age will make that easier said than done.

Yet it was not as bad as I thought. I neared the entrance and jumped into the air, only to feel the Ocean Palace itself suck me in. I was startled at first but then realized that I was being guided toward the entrance before I finally made landfall right at the entrance.

Below me, I could see the landscape, brown and dreary with white clouds constantly obscuring the view. It was far too chilly up here to linger so I made my way forward toward the entrance. With the blue, encrusted door in my sight, I knew that I was near entering the palace. Yet, before I could continue, a figure appears out of thin air before me.

As I see the figure of her highness in front of me, I immediately kneel. My body is shaking, my teeth are chattering and my heart is racing. I almost want to believe that this is some kind of cruel joke, and that I am merely hallucinating and that I really am just stuck in the cellar of my lab, going completely mad.

But the Queen soon speaks and it then that I know that I have finally made contact, after so long, I can finally see and hear her.

"Stranger, I do not know who you are but if your intent in coming here is to stop the almighty Lavos then you are too late. Over three hundred years has passed since Lavos has reigned fire and destruction upon this planet and rid it of unnecessary filth. There is nothing for you here. Go."

With that, I see the queen disappear and then it hits me.

It was a hologram.

I feel somewhat disappointed and my hope goes down a bit but I think better of it. If there is a hollogram of her's here then she is bound to be here. And if the Queen is here, then surely Schala would be with her as well.

Still, the doors remain shut before me though this is not a problem. I step beside the door and start to chant softly. I have not had to use this back door method of getting in my own devices before but it is always good to have a fail safe.

My body soon begins to warm up as I realize that my spell worked. Immediately, the world goes hazy before my eyes before everything goes black.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I nearly fell from pure shock. Though the Ocean Palace retained its shape on the outside, the inside seems to have been remodeled quite a bit. I do not know who the queen hired in making this change but I would shake his hand. The design inside the ship not only looked beautiful but was practical as well.

I stare at the long walkway before me. I peer below to see an endless depth. I knew that I had a long way to go if I wished to get to the meeting room at the end of the ship.

As I press forward, a long shadow begins to form in front of me. A dark portal begins to open. There, I see stars, strange stars, the likes of which I have never seen. At the lower right corner of the portal shows an obscure planet, much like our Earth.

I have no idea what this portal is but I know better than to step through it. So, I press attempt to proceed, not wasting any time, but no sooner had I made my mind up to move on did the creature on the other side of the portal decide to show itself.

The portal closed and before me had to be the ugliest creature I have ever seen and that is saying something considering the mutants I had to contend with in this time period.

Its top body is large and broad, mottled white with a blue pigment to its skin. It's two, long arms that protrude from each side end in only three, dagger like fingers. I cannot tell whether it has sight or hearing as I can discern no ears or eyes.

Its lower body is nothing like I have ever seen. It had no legs yet it seemed to be able to glide across the ground with no harm to itself. Like a slug, it left trails of slime whenever it moved. Surely this creature is not from this planet but this does not surprise me, considering that after the discovery of Lavos' energy we began to create portals to bring exotic creatures over to our planet.

The Queen did this for display of power and grandeur. Who _wouldn't_ want to see some creature from another planet. The queen had even funded a small reserve in an off-shoot island that contained nothing but creatures from other planets on the surface of Earth. I do not need to tell you how many Earthbound workers died trying to maintain those beasts. But others had more practical uses for these aliens, such as Dalton, who constantly summoned what we called "Golems" over to the planet. How he was able to tame such terrible creatures is beyond me but they made a fantastic fighting force.

So back at the alien at hand, did I mention that it was huge, quite possibly the biggest alien I have seen thus far? It is quite intimidating and my nerves have yet to steady themselves. I wait, wondering what it would do.

Yet, there it stood, doing nothing. This completely baffled me, was it trying to guard the passage ahead or did it teleport here in accident? Is it even aware that it is here, that I am here? I knew that I had to tread carefully. I am far too old to go into protracted battles and I have no idea what the capabilities of this creature are. What was I going to do? Do I proceed?

After much deliberation on my part and idleness on the part of the alien, I figured that if the creature wanted to get rid of a hostile threat that it would have already attacked me and been done with it. I press forward, hoping that the creature would grant passage or at least not attack.

As I neared the creature, I could not help but notice just how quiet it was. For something so big, it made so little noise that it might as well not have been there.

By now, I was right next to the creature and still, it has not made any move to attack. So far, I think that I will be alright though the smell coming from this creature was downright rank.

I managed to inch just past it when I managed to land my first blunder. My staff, which is my weapon of choice, managed to tap the creature. Now, I cannot say that the creature was loud but I could tell that it was screaming. The air about me vibrated so much that my vision began to get hazy. My balance was suddenly unsteady and my ears felt like they were about to explode despite the lack of audio tonation coming from the creature.

It turned and I could tell that it was staring at me despite it having no eyes and I could tell that it had hostile intentions. Knowing that staying would just result in my folly, I fled as fast as I could before the creature could make up its mind (did it have a mind?) whether to attack or not.

The rest of the journey through this ship proved extremely hazerdous. I suppose the queen has grown quite paranoid and security was quite stringent.

I had managed to flee from many of the large and terrible creatures, like the Blobs, Aliens and those flying Yellow Mutants. Those creatures were beyond powerful. The aliens opened portals to other timelines, to other locations, to other dimensions, or the combination of the two or three. They were quite reckless but foolish to fight due to their awesome powers.

It was just easier to flee from them because they got so caught up trying to summon me away that all I had to do was put a barrier up and they would find themselves spirited away instead. Such great power but no control. I guess there had to be balance in the world.

The Yellow Mutants were another story. They had no supernatural powers but they did have brute strength and I knew that I had to flee from them when I confronted one and attempted to fight. I used my strongest _Flare_ shot at it, only to find that it just got annoyed and proceeded to crush everything in sight.

They were also difficult to flee from, due to their flight and projectiles. It is times like this that I am glad that I had a good stun spell at my disposal and two shots was all it took to get one as stiff as a statue.

Besides those behemoths, the rest of the monsters guarding the palace were easily defeated by me. The scouts, still in use, were always simple to defeat and the robots were never a problem due to my knowing the shut-down code to disable any robot and security bot in voice range. Why the Queen never changed the code, even after all this time, was beyond me.

Oh yes, I encountered more of the same species of that alien that I fled from at the entrance of the palace. The second one was far more cunning and running from it to get to the portal behind it was a chore. Knowing I could not do this alone, I had managed to find a robot nearby, I shut it down, and then used it as bait as I slipped past the two fighting figures.

The third seemed larger than the other two but more stupid as it just stood there the whole time. But there was a problem. The door beyond was covered by its body and there was no way I could squeeze through it. To make matters worse, I knew that touching one got it into a rage. What to do?

There were no nearby robots this time for me to use and I eventually knew that if I wanted it to move, I would have to incur its wrath. Placing a healthy magical and physical barrier on my person, I went forward and tapped the creature.

Predictably, it 'screamed', and, like before, I found it hard to keep balance and my sight was hazy. I figured that once it finished screaming it would chase me and then I would just do the run around until I got to the door and the transporter. I knew it could not follow me past that.

How wrong I was. The creature, learning from its brother at the entrance I suppose, knew that I got disoriented by its 'scream', so it continued its assualt while it came at me.

I knew that I was in desperate trouble. I could hardly move and my ears were beginning to ring. My sight was getting increasingly blurry and my legs felt like wet clay.

I felt a harsh blow strike and I felt myself flying as I hit the wall. I pried my eyes open to find that I was not hurt but the shields had take considerable damage and that my Lode Vest had already cracked. The alien was about but a few paces away from me and I knew that I could not dash while it still continued its obnoxious war cry.

Then, it stopped, I presumed, to get a breath. I knew that I would not have enough time to dash all the way towards the door leading to the transporter but I had a rather hot blooded and risky plan.

I ran as fast I could until my position was right in front of the door. The creature screamed again and noted my change in position. It came at me, screaming and I braced myself, hoping that my plan would work.

I felt a harsh impact once again. I immediately felt cool and it was then that I knew that the shields were broken. My body felt light at once as my Lode Vest broke into many pieces as well. I was flying and I only hoped I was flying towards my destination.

Then, I hit the wall and quickly opened my eyes. The creature was still in front of me, but it was _across_ the door. My plan had worked. It hit me right into the transporting room. The creature, not seeing any sight of me, appeared to have been satisfied and moved over to guard its post once more. It was at this point that I knew that there was no turning back.

I was in for quite a shock when I saw that the ship contained a Lavos spawn wandering about. I had experience with these, often having to kill a couple while I was at Death Peak to collect snow for my supply of fresh water. On the whole, they were not very strong.

This one was no different though it had a couple of tricks up its sleeve. It was faster and knew a couple of spells the other spawns didn't, like the _Water Rise_. Apparently, this spawn has had far better substenance than its brothers and sisters on Death Peak but all the same, I defeated it without too much trouble.

I proceeded over to the next room and gasped at what I saw. There were several pillars lining the left and right of me and they contained several figures, most of them humans. I did not recognize most of them but I knew that they were probably all brave warriors who had at one time tried to scale this palace, whatever their reason would be, and were defeated and placed in eternal stasis.

I was most shocked when I saw the spiky, red haired youth, the blonde hair girl and her friend with glasses in these chambers as well. Next to them lay another blond haired woman who had the physique of a man I do not know where she came from, but when or where ever it was, it seemed women were the bosses of society. The other was a young man, about twenty five years of age. His ruffled hair was a drab green and his arms held many scars, no doubt he fought extensively with a sword.

I was quite perplexed by this bizarre turn of events. What did this mean? I decided to proceed, putting the thought aside when I found myself falling towards the floor. Getting up as fast as my bruised body could, I stood up to find what looked like a robot lying on the ground.

The robot was not a product of the palace but the RX-Series made by the factory yonder way in the western portion of the continent. Having bumped into it seemed to have activated it though it was in terrible condition. Even in my lab I would not be able to fix it.

"Would you happen to be Belethsar, one of the three Guru's of Zeal?" asked the robot.

I was taken aback. How did this RX-Series robot know not only my name but of Zeal and my previous position of power? Something told me that this robot was not normal and that it was somehow involved with the group of kids that decided to fight Lavos.

"Amazing that an RX-Model would happen to have data on my name and homeland. Yes, you are correct, I am Belethsar. I presume that you were involved with those children who decided to fight Lavos?" I asked.

"That is correct. I have traveled with them through most of Earth's time periods in our quest to defeat the parasite known as Lavos. We were instructed that Lavos could be reached through this Palace and, if what my sensors are indicating are correct, we tried to storm this Palace in the sky over 14,000 years ago." replied the robot.

"What a shame. It seems that you all have attempted to stop our queen and you failed, well, at least in this timeline. There does not seem to be any hope left then." I replied solemnly.

The robot looked at me curiously, almost as if it felt disappointed with itself for not completing their task at hand.

"No apology can change the world now. We did our best and fought to the end. Unfortunately, the queen was too strong and we could not get to Lavos. Forgive us." said the robot.

If anything, it was I who felt the utmost pity for the robot and his companions. Who knew the trials and hardships they had to go through in order to get to this point, that they were so close that change was literally at their fingertips, only to fail at the very end. All their dedication, hardships, struggles, everything was for nothing now.

With care that I never usually reserve for a robot, I place my hand on the cool tin head. Surprising that this RX unit has not rusted, but then again, nothing in the Ocean Palace decays.

"There is nothing to forgive RX-unit. You all did your best and you all died knowing that. Understand that your friends are in a better place now. I think it is time for you to join them." I said stotically.

"That is kind of you but as you can see, I am a robot. My friends are in a place that I can never go to." said the RX unit.

"You are more human than most people I know RX-unit. I know that though your body and mind are mechanical, you have a human soul residing in you. I know that you will see your friends on the other side." I said, hoping to comfort the forlorn robot.

"Thank you kind Guru. I think I can now shut down in peace, but can you please remember one thing for me." asked the robot.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My name is Robo. Promise that you will not forget." asked Robo.

"You have my word, Robo." I replied before I saw the robot finally shut down completely. It's memory chip ejected from its head unit, it gave a tiny explosion and it was at this point that I knew that Robo was truly dead.

I gave a small prayer before moving the body of Robo next to his friends. He stayed functional the whole time, just so that he could see his friends. Quite frankly, I was surprised that the queen did not do away with him but I suppose that maybe beneath that cruel exterior, she had some form of pity and let him do as he pleased.

With that said and done, I proceeded over to the meeting room ahead. I gulped at what I was about to see and I opened the large chamber doors.

Before me, I saw a large room with a throne ahead. The queen was nowhere in sight. I began to pace about the room, checking for any signs of life. I was beginning to quiver. I really had hoped that Ocean Palace was occupied by more than just aliens, mutants and monsters, but it seemed that hope was running out fast.

I almost began to panic as the thought of journey here was beginning to look in vain. Frustrated, I pouted before sitting on the throne, thinking on what to do next.

Almost after I sat down, I felt a cool, slender hand with long nails brush the side of my face. It was definately feminie but the touch chilled me to the bone. Immediately I rose from the throne and backed away in alarm.

There, in front of him, was the queen herself, looking as young as ever. She wore the same, overgrown robes that she did back when she ruled the Kingdom though her hair was longer and held a deeper shade of purple.

"What is the matter my dear Belethsar, have you forgotten how to show reverance in front of your queen?" scolded Zeal harshly.

Immediately I bowed low, wishing not to anger her. I was quivering and I did not know whether it was out of excitment at finally speaking to someone from his own time or the fact that the queen was still as fearful as ever and that provoking her would result in instant death.

"P-Pardon my lack of my respect. You may not be aware but I have marooned in this time for years uncounted." I stuttered.

"Oh, do not give me such pitiful excuses. If we were to be separated by millions of years before coming before each other, I would still expect you to show me the same reverence as before." scolded the queen once more.

"Forgive me." I said, hoping not to anger her more.

"I suppose that I can forgive you for I have been in a jovial mood. Do you not see Belethsar that I am immortal? Nearly 14,000 years have I resided in here with the power of Lavos sustaining me, it is exhilirating. I am willing to forgive the debacle you attempted to put up all those years ago if you are willing to be my eternal servent once more." offered the queen.

I considered what she said. Being under her servitude would probably rank better than staying sieged into my lab. That and I would have someone to speak to, despite how callous and overbearing she could be.

"I would have expected a quicker response my dear Belethsar. Are you really considering in going back down into that wasteland to rot and die when you can enjoy eternal life with Lavos. We will be a part of him and together, with your wisdom, my cunning and the utter power of Lavos, we will rule all." said Queen Zeal.

At once I felt suspicious upon hearing my queen say that. She mentioned taking it's life energy, but never did I recall her stating to be a part of Lavos during our meetings back in the homeland. She wanted to _control_ and _harness_ the energy of Lavos for her own benefit. She _alone_ wanted to rule and rule forever and I know, from terrible experiences, how she dealt with rebellion and to those who even _breathed_ the following words, _share power. _

I remember the one incident when a friend of mine proposed to create a Senate or a House of Commons to share the burden of power with the queen. The biggest and last mistake of his life as the queen summoned an iron orb out of nowhere and crashed it on the poor man's body, spilling his guts everywhere. His blood stains took weeks to remove from the meeting office.

I know that my queen is greedy, self sufficient and is willing to use anybody and anything to get immortality and that includes Lavos as well. I would not be surprised that once we were immortal she would have started a grand army to subdue the giant beast and place it in eternal stasis.

The woman in front of me, though she looked and sounded like my queen, was not my queen.

"The farce is up. You are not my queen. If the true queen were here right now, she would scoff at how terrible this imatation is. I know my queen, I have served her for centuries uncounted. Never would she share power and that goes for your master, Lavos, as well!" I roared.

At once, the 'queen' screamed in fury, pacing about terribly and tearing at her hair. I did not know what to make of this display but I decided to let it pass before attempting to speak to whatever creature this thing is.

"Not bad. I did not think that I would have fooled one of the great Gurus' and you are no exception. Unfortunately, since you have refused my offer to serve me, I have no choice but to end your life." said the fake.

"I see. Then you are Lavos then?" I asked.

"Not precisly. You can say that I am his 'mouth' and any dealings that have to be done on the outside are handled by me. I am a part of him so technically, you can say that I AM him though I have my own will." replied "Lavos."

"You refer to Lavos as a male?" I asked.

"Quite certainely, well, we do not have genders but we are about as close to you human males than females." replied "Lavos."

"Then at least I know that this monster that has destroyed my world has a concious. What do you call yourself before we start battle?" I asked, beginning to get ready in what would be the battle of my life.

"As I said, I really have no name but if you must, you can call me 'Time Devourer.'" It is a name that I hold in high esteem." replied the Time Devourer.

At once, I saw his body glow white and I knew that he was about to reveal his true form. I took a healing tonic before setting up my shields.

Once completed, the Time Devourer revealved it's true form to me. Indeed, it was mostly head and mouth as it had not body or legs, just two hands that accompanied the lone head.

"Take this!" roared the Time Devourer.

I was caught by surprise as two, blue, starshaped figures headed towards me. As fast as my old bones could go, I attempted to dodge. One missed but the other hit dead on.

Immediately my shields went down upon impact and it was then that I knew that this creature packed ferocious, magical power. Without my Lode Vest, I knew I was helpless without my shields, so I raised them once more and started to move about. The Time Devourer looked at me with interest.

"Oh dear, that was my strongest attack and it seemed you lived. I had hoped to have killed you in one strike like I did with that pathetic team of misfits. But then again, you are a Guru so I have to be more careful." said the Time Devourer.

Hearing that I took its strongest attack with only my shields going down meant that I stood a chance and that my shields would be able to withstand two or three blows from its other attacks.

"Now then, take this!" roared the Time Devourer as he sent pillars of lightning at me. The attack was really weak, it hardly tested the shields I had up, but then, I realized that those two blue stars were coming at me again. I tried to move but found that my body had suddenly gotten very heavy due to the pillars of light weighing me down and it was then that I understood the creature's plan.

I prayed that I would live the impact. The first hit destroyed my shield and second hit me fiercely in my midsection. My ears buzzed as I heard the sound of churning water engulf my being as I flew back and hit the wall.

This was bad. I knew that I could not take any more of that attack and with good reason. My body's high resitance to magical attacks alone saved me but I knew that I was internally injured.

"What's the matter Guru, play too rough now?" asked the Time Devourer.

In response, I sent a lightning bolt towards its eye. It struck dead on as he screamed in pain. I did not want to take this phial now but at the moment, there was no other choice.

I withdrew a small bottle as the Time Devourer was busy and took a drink of one of our magic Elixers. Immediately, I felt my body mend itself. Breathing became steady and easy and the heavy damage to my insides were instantly repaired. My magic had also been replenished but now, I knew that I had to fight really carefully now.

I had no more Elixirs and the tonics I carried with me are only for nerves and illness.

At once, I raised my shields and I observed that the creature attacked with its hands. If he could get rid of at least one, he knew that his battle would be much easier. With that said, he dashed forward while charging up two spells at once. I had to be wise with my spells, I had to use those that hit hard but did not tire me as much.

The Time Devourer recovered from my attack and proceeded its own offensive by summoning those gates of lightning. I dodged them but it was close and I knew that I had to speed things up if I wanted to live through this fight.

So I released a Dark Bomb (albeit not a very good one) at the face while I released a powerful Ice Shard attack at the right hand.

I then stepped back and quickly cast down my physical shield (I had realized that this creature fought primarily with magic) and upped my magical barrier before casting a Haste spell on myself. At once, I felt like I was at the prime of youth and that nothing could catch me.

It turns out that it was that that saved my life.

The Time Devourer smirked after my Dark Bomb had been finished casting as he said.

"Too bad, to think that this fight will be over already."

I did not know what he meant until I began to see a prism color beginning to form on his right hand. At once I recognized the attack and knowing that my situation was now critical, I raised my haste and barrier up to their max.

"Halleton." said the Time Devourer softly.

At once I fled from the incoming wave, trying to keep a step ahead until it went away. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the same room due to the other door locking from behind me. I had no time to open it and I knew that I would have to just run as fast as I could and keep my barrier up so that as minimal of degenerative damage was done.

So I did this for about a minute, feeling myself tire as the rainbow colored Halleton touched my skin before I fired my barrier back up to full and continued to run.

All told, once the Halleton subsided, I realized that little degenerative damage was done to me but I was exhausted. I knew that I could not maintain both barrier and haste at the same time any longer but having the two maintained were crucial to my victory.

"Bravo. It seems that you have even survived the Halleton. Quite an interesting technique, I can never do it under my own will. No matter, you are exhausted and will die soon." said the Time Devourer.

The creature was right. Age was catching up to me fast and there was really no way for me to get out of this one. I knew that I could not attack the hands. I shutter to think the horrors the left hand has in store for those who attack it. I knew that my only choice was to kill the head.

"Okay old Guru, it is time for your time to end. I know that you cannot dodge this. Die." roared the Time Devourer as it threw the two water stars at me once again.

I raised my barrier and tried to dodge but could only avoid one before the second hit me, shattering my barrier once more. I was at my limit.

"Damn it old man, why don't you die? Don't you see its pointless now to live? Your planet is dead, my master has won. Accept your fate and just die." roared the Time Devourer as it started to charge up two more water stars once more, but he was putting some more power into it. I knew that this attack would finish me.

And as I thought of that, I remember that odd doll over Enhasa, asking whether our lives were determined by Fate or if we could build the future with our own hands. Nearly a century ago was I asked that question by that odd doll and to this day, I still have no answer. Still, I knew that I did not want to die here, not without knowing what really happened to my queen, Janus and Schala.

But how could I win? It was then that my mind went back to the earliest of my teachings in Kajar, on how Water is the ally of Lightning and together, they made a fearsome foe.

The star attack the Time Devourer was charging up right now is a water based spell. Of course, I feel like an idiot to not have seen it sooner. But I knew I had to act quickly before that beast decided to leash its attack.

"Are you ready to succumb to eternal sleep old man?" asked the Time Devourer.

"Not yet, not until I know more!" I roared as I charged up the only lightning attack I knew. It was a modification of the Lightning Plus Two attack but charged into a single bolt as opposed to being spread over a wide area. It was excellent in one to one battles.

"Die!" roared the Time Devourer.

"No I will not!" I roared as I released my modified Lightning Two attack. Lightning always travels faster than water and it struck its target before the Time Devourer knew what was happening.

"What's going on? Why can't I move? Why am I in so much pain!" roared the Time Devourer as his water attack and my lightning attack combined to form an electrical surge and conducted the electricity ferociously.

I put everything I had into my attack and the Time Devourer screamed until its voice suddenly stopped. I saw its paralyzed body start to whither away, being cast away like dust in the wind.

"Good job Guru. It is obvious that your position was well deserved. Even so, your fight was for naught. We have already won. But still, I commend you." said the Time Devourer once more before completely disappearing.

* * *

Once he dissipated, a rather large, spiky, red stone fell to the ground with a sigh. Despite my body's grumbling, I went forward to pick it up. At once, I thought of the Dreamstone but this was different. The stone was larger and heavier than the Dreamstone used in the Mammon Machine so long ago.

I concluded that this stone and the Dreamstone had a common source but were different altogether. Brothers as you will. But it was at this point that the revelation hit me.

Both this stone and the Dreamstone came from only one source and that was Lavos.

Before I had too much time to ponder, the room began to shift and my balance was lost. I fell to see the room warping into something different and I knew that I was being sent to either another dimension or time for this was almost exactly the same as when I was spirited away here in this sad world.

I felt my body go blazing hot, the freezing cold as I saw all several purple and blue lines alternating through the black space of nothing that I was traveling through.

Once that was over, I found myself in a particular place that I found hauntingly familiar. Around me seemed to be cascading waters below and above me yet it was solid and was never sunk underfoot.

I knew that there was only one place that could have this eerie vibe to it and I looked forward to see the grand almost majestic form of Lavos appear before me.

Having seen this behemoth once before, one does not get the measure of its size and power. It was huge, as large as Mt. Woe at the very least and what looked like the "eye" was itself thirty feet tall and across.

I began to tremble violently as I knew that my end has come. I was far too exhausted to fight now and even if I were at full strength, I knew that I could not touch this awesome being before me.

The eye peered at me as I braced myself for death but when nothing happened, I began to get calm down a bit. I saw that the eye staring at me looked rather intrigued and curious as opposed to spiteful and furious when he saw it last.

I had a sinking feeling that it was peering into my very thoughts and shuffling through my mind to find my deepest desires.

It did this for some time before it finally made up its mind and began to growl.

It was a deep, resonant sound and for sure, I knew that I was going to die. Yet, I felt a soft, squishy thing grab my hand and saw, to my disgust, some manner of creature or something that had taken hold of my arm. It had one, long red tentacle that connected to what looked like a platform. Seeing that Lavos wanted me to board this thing, I decided to comply lest the beast change its mind and end my life.

At once, I was sped up so quickly that the force sent me crashing down the platform, holding me firm. I knew that it was taking me to its peak but what could it possibly show on there?

It was probably not longer than a minute that I finally disembarked and landed on the top portion of the beast's head. It was a long, flat plane and I found that walking was here was no problem. Again, I felt the same slimy figure grab on to my arm and yet, I was beckoned to yet another platform.

I grimaced as I thought as to where I was going but the ride this time was smooth and, dare I say, comfortable. Soon, I came to see huge pillars of crystal jut out of the head of Lavos, some of the peaks reaching another two thousand feet into the air.

I was let off the platform and I saw, to my amazement, an entrance into this crystal mine.

I was uneasy, thinking that this was probably some sort of sick trap but if Lavos wanted to kill me, he would have done so long ago.

I entered the crystal cave and found it dazzling. The floor was littered with impacted quartz, proof that Lavos was not from this world. I continued into the cave, which gave a dark blue hue and I wondered as to how such a beautiful place could reside in such an ugly, terrible monster.

Soon, I saw a blinding light ahead of me and every fiber of my being told me to make for that light. Finding myself dashing despite my injuries, I ran towards the light, wondering what lay in the end. The sight shocked me to the very core.

There, encased in the most beautiful of crystal to have ever been wrought, were the three bodies of Zeal's Royal family.

All of them were as naked as the day they were born and the sight that I was treated to was both touching yet sorrowful at the same time. Words cannot express how terribly tragic yet beautiful this image is yet I will attempt to do it justice.

There was my queen, Queen Zeal, holding Schala towards her bosom, her hand on her daughter's loose, purple hair, almost as if she were comforting her. Right behind her I recognized the grown body of Janus, ripped with muscles of iron with long, ametheyst hair going down his back. I see him embracing his mother's body from behind while closing his arms about his older sister as well, crushing his body close to his mother and locking his sister in tightly, almost as if he did not want to risk losing both of them again.

Yet it was Queen Zeal that startled me the most. The expression on her face was kind, loving, even gentle. Nowhere was the harsh, cruel, stony expression that she often wore during her life. As I watched this image, I could not take my eyes off my queen. While it is generally known that Schala was beautiful, I had to say that her mother was more so by far.

But I am too old to be interested in women anymore and I have only seen my queen as my superior. Still, I wondered as to why these three have been incased here, apparently for millenia, yet, before I could answer myself, I saw another portal open out of nowhere and I was drawn in.

I was teleported inside what looked like another cave, yet this was dank and very dark. I saw a faint light towards the small path before me and I decided to make for it.

Once I got there, I saw a huge creature stand before me. Its body seemed to be made entirely of iron with all its tentacles attached to all the bio matter that surrounded it. I knew at once that I must be at the heart of Lavos and that truly, I would meet my end.

Yet, I was wrong one again as the figure dissapaited into nothing and I was greeted by a smaller, yet still very large, alien.

This alien was peculiar as it looked somewhat humanoid with pale, creamy skin and a large, purple gem adorning its head. Two, five foot organs I would say, seemed to orbit around this large body.

I did not move for I had no idea what this creature wanted from me. We had stared at each other eye to eye before it did something that completely surprised me.

It spoke and in my tongue too.

"According to the mass store of memories I have collected I know that you go by the name of Belethsar, is that right?" asked the giant alien.

"That is correct, but how do you know my language?" I asked.

"Learning a tongue is a simple thing when one has infinte time and trillions of memories to make use of." replied the alien.

"Then, what are you?" I asked, still very confused.

"I am what you call 'Lavos.'" it replied.

"What? That can't be. Lavos is gigantic, with a huge eye-"

"A common error all humans have made though I cannot blame you all. No human alive has seen the true me. What you have been seeing so far is something similar to what you call a ship." replied Lavos.

"Then all this time..."

"That is correct. I am the real Lavos, or, so you have labeled me. Our race does not give ourselves such labels." replied Lavos.

This revelation seemed to have shocked me to the core. It seemed that we were wrong the whole time over Lavos. All that time trying to extract his energy, to use it for our own gain, all coming just from the ship.

"I can see why you are surprised. As you know, I am infinitely strong. I have amassed the best possible combination of DNA on this planet and I am the result." replied Lavos.

"But why, why come to our planet and do this?" I asked frustrangily.

"To live. I am the last of my species. When I came to this planet, it was either going to be Earth or me. Of course, I chose myself as I delved deep into the planet and began to absorb its life force, taking its essence and learning of its creatures. When I had gained enough power, I began to alter Earth's plan for evolution to better suit my needs." said Lavos.

"So what you are saying is that we have been farmed the whole time?" I ask in total disbelief.

"If that is the analogy that you can comprehend, then yes, you were being farmed to meet my needs." replied Lavos.

"But I had always thought-"

"That you had free will? That your life was your own? That you are special? No, I paved the way for the events to happen that resulted in you humans gaining magic. With humans gaining magic from my essance, they would cultivate that power and when they died, I would get that power back plus many more. Yet, there was someone who was willing to use said power to usurp my position as master of this planet." said Lavos.

"And who was that?" I asked.

"Your queen. It seems that she was different from the start and it was amusing to hear her boasts of controlling _me_ and harnessing _my_ power when it was _I_ who gave her great power to begin with. Never did I take her boasts seriously. She would die one day and her being would be assimilated into my own. But when she ordered the construction of the Mammon Machine, I felt my existence begin to get threaten. Completion of that machine resulted in a considerable amount of my power was, being siophed away. When she placed that accursed machine at the bottom of the ocean, I knew I had to act before all my hard work was wasted." said Lavos.

"So that's why you decided to show yourself. You came and then you sent me over here in this ruined land and time." I said.

"That is correct though I did not intend to spirit you all away. My powers were unstable due to the machine's proximity and I could not control it. The portals I created were not intentional. I do not like summoning away my prey. I often like to devour it as soon as I can." replied Lavos.

"Then you saw the consequences of your actions then, didn't you?" I asked.

"Correct. I was weak and I did little damage to the planet. I summoned away three dying humans and one human child. The girl whom you called Schala never got away from her fate as I attempted to devour her there and then. Yet, there was a problem. When I summoned her to my core to dismember her, I found that I could not do so. A blinding light prevented me from intergrating her body and essence into my being so I did the next best thing. I encased her at the top of my ship where there are those crystals caves that you no doubt saw. Those crystals are my ship's power source though I can get energy from them at any time I want for my own use. Placing such a powerful being in one of the crystal cores insured greater power for the ship and myself. Unfortunately, I am unable to directly tap into her abilities nor make use of her DNA. A shame, but better used as a power source than discarded I suppose." said Lavos.

"And what of the Janus and queen?" I asked.

"Your Queen joined her daughter almost immediately. The whole ruse of her being my partner was nothing more than that, a ruse. I suppose she felt that there was something deeper than just the outer shell but she was far too threatening a figure to keep alive so I attempted to make her a part of me as well. Like her daughter, I was unable to do so and she joined her daughter almost immediately when I awoke nearly 14,000 years ago." said Lavos.

Then Lavos continued.

"The boy eventually grew up to be even more powerful than his sister and mother. For a human, he was frighteningly strong and posed the biggest threat to my existence. He managed to summon me away to another dimension but he paid for his act as he expended most of his energy. I took advantage of this and decided to integrate him into my being. I was not surprised that I could not do so with him as well so I had him join his mother and daughter. All told, mother and daughter have been together for about 14,000 years and their brother joined them about 12,400 years later.

I took all of this in as I absorbed the fates over the royal family of Zeal before I asked again.

"So you say that they are not dead then?" I asked.

"Quite the contrary, your queen got her last wish. As a part of me, they are now immortal, or, immortal as they can be. I am not what you call evil. I do this to live and I understand the effort put forth by these three fascinating humans. Right now, not only are they immortal, they are living once again. It is but a dream but they are unaware of it. They only know that they are together forever and that all is right with the world." said Lavos.

I take in what is said and I begin to wonder. What is life anyway? Do we truly know that we are living or are we just the pawns of a big scheme of events to come. Is our life simply just a dream, sustained by an almighty being that has decided to grant them mercy?

I know what I want and I could tell that Lavos knows as well.

"You want to join them. I can understand. You humans are on the brink already. You all will be extinct in the next fifty years. I can see why you would want to join them. Considering how far you came and how you defied my faithful pet and defeated him, I am willing to be kind and do this for you. Understand that you will remember nothing of this time, nothing of me nor this bleak planet. I will watch over you all and when I go into slumber, I will join you in that immortal dream, at least, for a while. You have lived a long life for a human. I believe it is time for you to go to sleep." said Lavos.

I could hardly believe the mercy and justice that I was getting from this creature. To be able to finally join my people again for eternity, it seemed like the ending that I was looking forward to. I close my eyes in the hopes that I can see Schala and our people once more.

Poor Belethsar, a guru with such wisdom believing false words, letting his guard down and exposing himself in his time of folly. He closed his eyes wishing to reunite with those that he loved but he saw nothing as his body was dismembered horribly as he fell to the ground, dead.

"I am sorry Belethsar. Though your efforts were noble, I cannot grant you acess to immortal life. That is something that I have only reserved for your royal family, the most powerful humans to have ever existed. But be proud that your wisdom, intelligence and ingenuity is now going towards the ultimate being. You have joined my being and that in itself is an honor. Be proud and die in peace." said Lavos.

And there on the floor rolled the head of Belethsar, a crooked smile still engraved on his face, believing till the very end that he would see those he loved once more.


End file.
